ABOUT US
MING co-founders El Sawyer and Jon Kaufman have been working together since 2007 on documentaries, non-profit, corporate, and brand videos. Their speciality is community-based video documentation and media education/training/mentorship for high-risk populations.
Jon is a Philadelphia-born and raised director, producer, and cinematographer. A graduate of Temple University, he has worked internationally on documentaries, and produced content for companies such as VICE, RedBull, and National Geographic. At home in Philly, Jon is a youth-media activist, teaching video production and media literacy to at-risk teens through several nonprofit arts organizations, including the Village of Arts and Humanities.
El is the Director of Operations at The Village of Arts and Humanities in North Philadelphia. He discovered film and video while incarcerated at Graterford State Prison, Pennsylvania's largest maximum security facility, where he served 8 years of an 8-20 year sentence. Upon his release he dedicated his life to community service, mentoring at-risk youth and starting a video program for teens.
Born and raised in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Seven Halsema is an accomplished post-production engineer. Before his career in the film industry, he studied Behavioral Science and taught and mentored immigrant youth in underserved areas of Amsterdam. He has been an editor, colorist, titler and director for eight years, having worked on major productions such as The Voice, Madagascar, Cars, Harry Potter, and for clients like Nike, Porsche, and Audi. He joined MING in 2013 as Content Director
